Thomas Bernard Croat (born 23 May 1938 in St. Marys, Iowa) is an American botanist and plant collector, noteworthy as one of botanical history's "most prolific plant collectors". [1] He has collected and described numerous species of plants, particularly in the family Araceae, in his career at the Missouri Botanical Garden. [2]
After serving for about two years in 1956–1958 as a radar technician in the U.S. Army, Croat matriculated at Simpson College, where he graduated in 1962 with a B.A., majoring in botany and minoring in chemistry. He then matriculated at the University of Kansas, where he graduated in 1967 with a Ph.D. in botany. His thesis is entitled "The genus Solidago of the north central Great Plains". [3]
At the Missouri Botanical Garden, Croat was from 1967 to 1971 an assistant botanist, from 1971 to 1976 a curator of phanerogams, from 1976 to 1977 and an associate curator. There he is since 1977 the P. A. Schulze Curator of Botany. [3] From 1967 to 1971 he studied the flora of Panama with the sponsorship of the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. [3] [1] From 1970 to 1971 he was a curator at the Summit Herbarium and Library in the Canal Zone. He has held adjunct faculty appointments at Washington University in St. Louis, at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, and at Saint Louis University. [3] He was awarded the David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration in 2005. [4]
Croat has collected botanical specimens in 39 different countries. [3] He is a leading expert on aroids of the Neotropics. [1]
His general interests are the systematics and ecology of Neotropical Araceae, floristics of Araceae and their horticulture. Among ongoing projects are dealing with Araceae for the floras of Mesoamerica, Ecuador, Guianas, Bolivia and areas of Colombia and monographs on Dieffenbachia , Rhodospatha , Homalomena and Chlorospatha . Croat collected his 100,000th specimen, the new species Anthurium centimillesimum, in 2007 in the cloud forest of Ecuador's Pichincha province. He has described 800 new species. [1]
In 1965 he married Patricia Swope. They have two children. [3]
The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe. Also known as the arum family, members are often colloquially known as aroids. This family of 140 genera and about 4,075 known species is most diverse in the New World tropics, although also distributed in the Old World tropics and northern temperate regions.
Acorus is a genus of monocot flowering plants. This genus was once placed within the family Araceae (aroids), but more recent classifications place it in its own family Acoraceae and order Acorales, of which it is the sole genus of the oldest surviving line of monocots. Some older studies indicated that it was placed in a lineage, that also includes aroids (Araceae), Tofieldiaceae, and several families of aquatic monocots. However, modern phylogenetic studies demonstrate that Acorus is sister to all other monocots. Common names include calamus and sweet flag.
Anthurium is a genus of about 1,000 species of flowering plants, the largest genus of the arum family, Araceae. General common names include anthurium, tailflower, flamingo flower, and laceleaf.
Dracontium is a genus of flowering plants similar to those of Amorphophallus. Unlike Amorphophallus which is found in the Old World, this genus has a New World distribution and is native to South America, Central America, southern Mexico, and the West Indies.
Brian Morey Boom is an American botanist who specializes in the flora of the Guianas and the Caribbean, the family Rubiaceae, ethnobotany, and economic botany.
Anthurium brownii is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium native to Central and South America, from Costa Rica through Panamá, and south to Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. First scientifically described in 1876, it was collected by Gustav Wallis and named for N. E. Brown. A. brownii grows from sea level up to 1,200 meters (3,900 ft) in tropical forests.
Anthurium clidemioides is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium native to Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. One of the more distinctive Anthuriums, it is a vining climber with almost stalkless, bullate leaves that can range from light to very dark green. Along with Anthurium flexile it is one of only two species in the genus that produces roots between nodes.
Anthurium coriaceum is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium native to southeast Brazil. A "bird's nest" type of Anthurium of the section Pachyneurium, it grows either terrestrially or epilithically in areas of seasonal dryness. It has erect leaves that feel like leather, which is where its scientific name derives from.
Anthurium papillilaminum is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium native to Panama. A. papillilaminum grows terrestrially and has very dark green cordate leaves on short stems. Its native range is very limited, with the species endemic to only the coasts of Colón Province and Darién Province up to 100 meters (330 ft) above sea level. A member of the section Cardiolonchium, it is closely related to other velvet-leaved Anthuriums, though it does not have silver veins on the leaves like Anthurium crystallinum.
Anthurium scandens is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium. Native from Mexico to Southeast Brazil, it is the most widely distributed species of Anthurium in the Americas, and also extends to the Caribbean including Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and other nations.
Anthurium clavigerum is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium. Native to Central and South America, it ranges from Honduras to central and western Brazil. This epiphyte has distinctive leaves that are deeply lobed and sometimes sinuous edges. The main stem can be several meters long and the palmate leaves can be 2 meters across, giving it the largest foliage of any Anthurium in Central America.
Anthurium microspadix is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium. Growing as an epiphyte or a terrestrial shrub, it is native from the southern Mexican states of Oaxaca and Chiapas to Bolivia from 800–2,300 metres (2,600–7,500 ft) in elevation. One of the more widely distributed and variable species in its genus, it is easily confused with species such as Anthurium pallens and others.
Anthurium jenmanii is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium. Growing as an epiphyte subshrub, it is native to South America from Trinidad and Tobago to Brazil. A member of the section Pachyneurium, and like related species it has a "birds nest" growth habit. It has a dark purple-black spadix and spathe, and produces red berries. In cultivation, it is commonly mistaken for Anthurium bonplandii subsp. guayanum, a related species.
Anthurium pallens is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium. Growing as a climbing epiphyte with short stems and usually pendent growth, it is native to Central America. Easily confused with other species such as Anthurium microspadix, it can be distinguished by its typically shorter branches and leaf blades acute to rounded at the base.
Anthurium formosum is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium native to Central and South America. Epiphytic or terrestrial, it is found from Nicaragua to Colombia and northwest Venezuela.
Anthurium bonplandii is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium native to South America. A member of the Anthurium sect. Pachyneurium, it grows terrestrially or occasionally epiphytic or epilithic. It is often confused with Anthurium jenmanii when young and Anthurium atropurpureum.
Anthurium ernestii is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium native to South America. Found from southern Colombia to Peru and western Brazil, it typically grows below 500 metres (1,600 ft).
Anthurium coloradense is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium native to Panama. A member of the section Polyneurium, this terrestrial shrub is most recognizable by its thin, veined leaves and its yellow-green spadix. Its foliage is very similar to other Panamanian species such as Anthurium caperatum, Anthurium santamariae and Anthurium cerrosantiagoense but may be distinguished by details such as the grooves in its stems and the pattern of veining, with the collective vein growing from the third vein in a leaf.
Anthurium wendlingeri is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium found in Central and South America, from southeast Nicaragua to northwest Colombia. It grows in wet tropical habitats as an epiphytic shrub with long, pendant leaves up to 7 feet (2.1 m) long that can have a slightly velvety appearance.
Anthurium ovatifolium is a species of plant in the genus Anthurium native to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It grows in wet tropical habitats, and is a member of the section Digitinervium. Its species name refers to the oval shape of its leaves, and it can be distinguished from similar species like Anthurium lentii by its red berries.